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Although antibiotics are the main therapy for bacterial infections, the reports showed that the overuse (or misuse) of antibiotics will results in several problems such as the development of antibiotic-resistant strains, persistence of drug residues, and numerous environmental concerns. Therefore, finding antibiotic alternatives is considered of vital importance. Investigation of the antimicrobial properties of several plant substances and extracts is of great value to replace antibiotics. With this objective, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of an ethanolic extract prepared from olive mill wastewater (OMWW), which is a by-product of olive oil production with considerable environmental burden, against 38 bacterial strains, including fish-associated pathogens, non-pathogenic isolates, collection strains, and one yeast strain, Candida albicans. Disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) tests were used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the OMWWE. According to the results, OMWWE provoked strong inhibitory effects against Shewanella baltica strain SY-S145. It also showed a moderate inhibitory effect on Plesiomonas shigelloides strain SY-PS16 and Vibrio anguillarum strain SY-L24. The MIC and MBC of OMWWE on Shewanella baltica SY-S145, Vibrio gigantis strain C24, and V. anguillarum strain SY-L24 were 500 µg/mL. The MIC and MBC on V. parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802 were 1000 µg/mL, whereas the values for Aeromonas salmonicida ATCC 33658 were 500 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL, respectively. To put it briefly, the OMWW extract showed high antimicrobial activity and can act as an environmentally friendly additive for the control and prevention of diseases caused by A. veronii, A. hydrophila, P. shigelloides, S. baltica, V. anguillarum, and V. parahaemolyticus. Its active agents also prevented infections of both fish-associated pathogens and food spoiling bacteria, which means it can not only help in the disease control mechanism but also in improving the safety of food by reduction of the microbial contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to verify how supply phytogenic additives (PA) can influence ruminal fermentation, digestibility, performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of lamb through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Data were extracted from 39 peer reviewed studies and analyzed using the F test when presented in a normal distribution, or the Kruskal-Wallis test when not presented in a normal distribution. Essential oils are most frequently used in the feed of lambs. The botanical species most used as source in the diet of lambs were Origanum vulgare (23.08%), Salvia rosmarinus (12.82%), and Allium sativum (7.69%). The PA supply didn't interfere (P>0.05) with the intake of crude protein and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and increased (P = 0.011) crude protein digestibility from the lamb’s diet. There was an increase (P = 0.020) of 5.77% in the average daily gain, and an increase (P = 0.053) of 8.9% in the rib eye area of the carcasses of sheep fed PA. The supply of PA reduced (P = 0.047) 5.4% of meat shear force and increased (P = 0.041) 3.3% of meat cooking losses. We recommend the inclusion of phytogenic additives in the diet of lambs since it does not change nutrient intake, improves crude protein digestibility, and increases the average daily gain.

Although antibiotics are the main therapy for bacterial infections, the reports showed that the overuse (or misuse) of antibiotics will results in several problems such as the development of antibiotic-resistant strains, persistence of drug residues, and numerous environmental concerns. Therefore, finding antibiotic alternatives is considered of vital importance. Investigation of the antimicrobial properties of several plant substances and extracts is of great value to replace antibiotics. With this objective, this study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activities of an ethanolic extract prepared from olive mill wastewater (OMWW), which is a by-product of olive oil production with considerable environmental burden, against 38 bacterial strains, including fish-associated pathogens, non-pathogenic isolates, collection strains, and one yeast strain, Candida albicans. Disk diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and minimum bactericidal/fungicidal concentration (MBC/MFC) tests were used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the OMWWE. According to the results, OMWWE provoked strong inhibitory effects against Shewanella baltica strain SY-S145. It also showed a moderate inhibitory effect on Plesiomonas shigelloides strain SY-PS16 and Vibrio anguillarum strain SY-L24. The MIC and MBC of OMWWE on Shewanella baltica SY-S145, Vibrio gigantis strain C24, and V. anguillarum strain SY-L24 were 500 µg/mL. The MIC and MBC on V. parahaemolyticus ATCC 17802 were 1000 µg/mL, whereas the values for Aeromonas salmonicida ATCC 33658 were 500 µg/mL and 1000 µg/mL, respectively. To put it briefly, the OMWW extract showed high antimicrobial activity and can act as an environmentally friendly additive for the control and prevention of diseases caused by A. veronii, A. hydrophila, P. shigelloides, S. baltica, V. anguillarum, and V. parahaemolyticus. Its active agents also prevented infections of both fish-associated pathogens and food spoiling bacteria, which means it can not only help in the disease control mechanism but also in improving the safety of food by reduction of the microbial contamination.

Food additives are employed in the food industry to enhance the color, smell, and taste of foods, increase nutritional value, boost processing efficiency, and extend shelf life. Consumers are beginning to prioritize food ingredients that they perceive as supporting a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing ingredients they deem acceptable as alternative or "clean-label" ingredients. Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products can be contaminated with pathogens and spoilage microorganisms after the cooking step, contributing to food spoilage losses and increasing the risk to consumers for foodborne illnesses. More recently, consumers have advocated for no artificial additives or preservatives, which has led to a search for antimicrobials that meet these demands but do not lessen the safety or quality of RTE meats. Lactates and diacetates are used almost universally to extend the shelf life of RTE meats by reducing spoilage organisms and preventing the outgrowth of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. These antimicrobials applied to RTE meats tend to be broad-spectrum in their activities, thus affecting overall microbial ecology. It is to the food processing industry's advantage to target spoilage organisms and pathogens specifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of the chitosan (CHI) and technical cashew nutshell liquid (CNSLT) on nitrogen metabolism and ruminal fermentation on pasture system. Five steers (5 × 5 Latin square); kept of Marandu grass and supplemented daily by up to 0.4% BW. The experimental diets were: CON (mineral supplement); PRO (protein supplement); CHI supplementation; CNSLT supplementation and CC (CHI + CNSLT supplementation). Animals supplemented with CNSLT showed a reduction of pasture intake. The combination CC increased the intake of supplement. Steers supplemented with the combination of CNSLT, and CHI showed a higher supplement intake. The ruminal pH for the animals that received the combination of CNSLT and CHI, showed the lowest values. CHI decreased rumen acetate concentration, and increased propionate. Animals fed CC had a higher concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and a reduced value for purines. CNSLT increased the excretion of total purines, microbial nitrogen synthesis and crude protein. Animals that received CC showed higher urinary excretion of N compared to the other treatments. The CHI + CNSLT proved to be favourable, with a higher total concentration of SCFA and positive effect on nitrogen balance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food additives are employed in the food industry to enhance the color, smell, and taste of foods, increase nutritional value, boost processing efficiency, and extend shelf life. Consumers are beginning to prioritize food ingredients that they perceive as supporting a healthy lifestyle, emphasizing ingredients they deem acceptable as alternative or “clean-label” ingredients. Ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products can be contaminated with pathogens and spoilage microorganisms after the cooking step, contributing to food spoilage losses and increasing the risk to consumers for foodborne illnesses. More recently, consumers have advocated for no artificial additives or preservatives, which has led to a search for antimicrobials that meet these demands but do not lessen the safety or quality of RTE meats. Lactates and diacetates are used almost universally to extend the shelf life of RTE meats by reducing spoilage organisms and preventing the outgrowth of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes. These antimicrobials applied to RTE meats tend to be broad-spectrum in their activities, thus affecting overall microbial ecology. It is to the food processing industry’s advantage to target spoilage organisms and pathogens specifically.

ABSTRACT A total of 1500 day old broiler chicks were grouped into five treatments; each treatment group further consisted of six replicates. Group A was given a control diet having antibiotics. Group B and C were offered essential oil blend at the proportion of 0.1 g/kg and organic acid at the dose rate of 1g/kg. Group D was given both essential oil 0.1 g/kg and organic acid 1g/kg in combination. Group E was offered only a basal diet without antibiotics and considered as a negative control. The trial lasted for 35 days. Results indicated that the body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) exhibited significant improvement but insignificant in the case of feed consumption. Bodyweight and FCR were better in group B, followed by C. Carcass characteristics like eviscerated weight and giblet weight were also improved in group B while dressed weight showed insignificant results. Total cholesterol and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) were unaffected by the treatments; however, increased blood glucose levels and decreased low-density lipoproteins (LDL) concentration were significantly noticed. Treatment groups have no effect on antibody titer against ND at the end of the trial. In gut morphology, significantly higher villus height was observed in group C, but villus width and crypt depth remained unaffected. In conclusion, essential oil and organic acids have improved performance, carcass parameters, serum biochemistry, gut health, and decreased bacterial count.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of essential oils (EOs) in the diet of beef cattle through a systematic review, followed by a meta-analysis. For the systematic search of scientific articles, a combination of keywords such as, "essential oils", "beef cattle," and "steers," was used in three databases: Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science. After screening and selection of the articles, 14 studies were selected. The characteristics evaluated in the selected articles were, dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and the gain:feed ratio (G:F ratio), in addition to the ruminal fermentation parameters, such as, pH, ammoniacal nitrogen (NH 3 -N), total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), acetate:propionate ratio (A:P), and methane (CH 4). The meta-analysis was conducted using the R statistical program. The inclusion of EOs as feed additives in the diet of beef cattle increased the DMI (MD = 0.2862, P = 0.0077), the ADG (MD = 0.1148, P = 0.0180), the G:F ratio (MD = 0.0060, P = < 0.0001), the molar proportion of propionate (MD = 1.6929, P = 0.0045), butyrate (MD = 0.4257, P = 0.0135), isobutyrate (MD = 0.3409, P = 0.0384), valerate (MD = 0.0761, P = 0.02730), reduced N-NH 3 concentrations (MD = −1.5787, P = 0.0004), the acetate molar proportion (MD = −2.0688, P = 0.0104), and the A:P ratio (MD = - 0.3185, P = 0.0007). The result of the meta-regression analyses suggested that the covariates of the experimental design and experimental period were the main covariates that influenced (P < 0.05) the DMI. Moreover, the experimental design, essential oil type, and the experimental period had an effect (P ≤ 0.05) on the ADG. The response variables related to the parameters of rumen fermentation were influenced by the covariates' experimental design and breed. The subgroup analyses showed that the variables DMI, ADG, propionate, and isobutyrate were influenced (P ≤ 0.05) by the experimental design, experimental period, dose, breed, and type of essential oil used. Thus, we conclude that the addition of EOs in the diet of beef cattle improves the performance of the animals, as it increases the DMI and ADG, reduces the concentrations of N-NH 3 , and increases the molar proportion of propionate, thus improving the A:P ratio. However, additional studies are needed to better understand the mechanism of action of EOs, especially on ruminal microorganisms and their effects on the parameters of ruminal fermentation. • The meta-analysis indicated the potential use of EOs in the feed of beef cattle. • The addition of EOs improved feed intake and animal performance. • Dietary supplementation of EOs reduced ruminal NH 3 -N concentrations. • Propionate proportions increased with the addition of EOs, resulting reduced A:P ratio. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate diets supplemented with prebiotic, probiotic and symbiotic as an alternative to antibiotics on the performance and immune response against the virus of Newcastle disease in broiler chickens. 1,400 one-day old male Cobb 500 chicks were raised until 42 days old in a completely randomized design with 2x2+1 factorial scheme with seven replications. The treatments were: diet without supplementation (base diet - BD), BD + prebiotic, BD + probiotic, BD + symbiotic (prebiotic + probiotic), and BD + antibiotic. The parameters evaluated were performance and antibody serum titers against Newcastle disease. No antibiotic effect was observed on performance. The symbiotic provided better results for weight gain and feed:gain ratio until 21 days old than isolated additives. At 28 days old, the broilers fed diets with prebiotic presented better feed: gain ratio. In the same period (28 d-old), there was an antibody production increase against the Newcastle disease virus in the group supplemented with prebiotic. It can be concluded that the utilization of symbiotic in broiler chickens' diets can substitute performance enhancing antibiotics. The inclusion of prebiotic in the diet improves feed: gain ratio at 1-28 days old. The chickens' immune response increases at 28 days against the Newcastle disease virus in the group supplemented with prebiotic.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the dietary supplementation of phytogenic additives (PAs) and glutamine plus glutamic acid (Gln/Glu), associated or not, in replacement of antibiotic growth promoters and anticoccidials (AGP/AC) on the performance and carcass yield of broilers. Five hundred male Cobb broilers were housed in an experimental house and randomly distributed into five treatments, with four replicates of 25 birds each. Treatments consisted of a control diet (CD); CD+AGP/AC; CD+Gln/Glu; CD+PAs; CD+Gln/ Glu+PAs. Diets were formulated only with plant feedstuffs, i.e., they did not contain any animal byproducts. Performance data were collected for the accumulated periods of 1-7, 1-21, and 1-42 days of age. Carcass yield and parts yield were determined at 42 days of age. Treatments did not influence performance during none of the evaluated periods. The greatest carcass yield (p

Construction is among the leading industries/activities contributing the largest carbon footprint. This review paper aims to promote awareness of the sources of carbon footprint in the construction industry, from design to operation and management during manufacturing, transportation, construction, operations, maintenance and management, and end-of-life deconstruction phases. In addition, it summarizes the latest studies on carbon footprint reduction strategies in different phases of construction by the use of alternative additives in building materials, improvements in design, recycling construction waste, promoting the utility of alternative water resources, and increasing efficiencies of water technologies and other building systems. It was reported that the application of alternative additives/materials or techniques/systems can reduce up to 90% of CO2 emissions at different stages in the construction and building operations. Therefore, this review can be beneficial at the stage of conceptualization, design, and construction to assist clients and stakeholders in selecting materials and systems; consequently, it promotes consciousness of the environmental impacts of fabrication, transportation, and operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]